In this project I am attempting to further characterize the molecular targets of beta-lactam antibiotics in bacteria and to follow the events that occur in a bacterial cell after penicillin has bound to these targets. In pursuit of this I have studied the actions of beta-lactam antibiotics on Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Borrelia hermsi during the preceding year. In addition to this main project, I have also examined strains of Staphylococcus aureus that were associated with cases of Toxic-Shock Syndrome (TSS) to determine whether these TSS strains differ in any way from other strains of S. aureus.